


in the dead of night

by geckointhegarbage



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, Light Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mention of Character Death, and what about it?, soft, yes i literally just started watching merlin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-25
Updated: 2019-07-25
Packaged: 2020-07-22 19:00:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19972780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/geckointhegarbage/pseuds/geckointhegarbage
Summary: arthur tells merlin three words that shake merlin to his core. it’s dark, but the stars are bright.





	in the dead of night

Camelot is a quiet place. 

That fact is surprising to people outside the city’s walls. Camelot? No, not the majestic city full of prosperous trade and wealth! Not the magnificent city with it’s towering castle and stately manner. Camelot must be a loud and bustling city! 

But Arthur knows the truth. 

During the peak hours of the day, sure, the city is alive and full of chatter and business and duties. But as the blazing sun sets over the kingdom, and the people of the city, as well as travelers, retire to the comfort of their homes and drink themselves to unconsciousness in bars, the city is quiet. Peaceful, almost. Not even the single rumble of a voice can be heard from the cobbled streets below the citadel. 

Arthur knows this, and ensures he takes full advantage of it. 

His hand is in Merlin’s the instant the last torch in the square has been extinguished. Merlin’s calloused hand trembles slightly in Arthur’s, a look of shock on his face as Arthur pulls him down the eerie corridor to his chambers. 

They stop in between two pillars in the middle of the corridor, the only sound being the crinkling of the flames of a torch next to them. Guards have already finished making their rounds here for the hour. 

“Are you sure?” Merlin asks of Arthur timidly. He stares intently at the polished surface of Arthur’s boots. “Do you want to do this?”

Arthur squeezes Merlin’s hand. “I do,” he replies instantly. “You know how much I care about you, right?”

Merlin nods wordlessly. 

“I care about you so much. I think it’s about time we at least ate dinner together. Just you and me.”

Merlin nods again, his eyes venturing up towards Arthur’s. 

“It’s okay. Nothing is going to happen. Nothing can happen. If anyone says anything,” Arthur scoffs, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly, “I’m the King of Camelot. What can anyone say?”

Merlin chuckles lightly at the idea of anyone trying to question the King. 

Arthur searches Merlin’s eyes for any remnants of fear or distress. “Okay?” he asks softly. He didn’t realize he was leaning in until their noses brushed. 

“Yeah,” Merlin breathes, eyes flickering from Arthur’s eyes to his lips. 

After Merlin consents, Arthur takes no extra time slotting their lips together. Arthur kisses him softly, as though not to startle him. Merlin recuperates, his eyes fluttering shut. He can feel Arthur’s long eyelashes brush by his cheeks. 

Arthur pulls away, slowly. “We don’t want the food to get cold, do we?” he grins. 

Merlin looks at him with a gentle smile on his face. “No, I don’t think we do.”

Arthur stands up straight and ensures their fingers are still laced together before they continue to walk down the corridor to Arthur’s chambers. When they reach the large wooden door, Arthur releases Merlin’s hand momentarily to find the key for the room on his belt and opens the door. He takes Merlin’s hand again as soon as the door is open though, revealing a table set up with roast chicken, a salad, rolls, and a fresh apple pie for dessert. Merlin’s stomach growls at the delicious display. 

The door closes firmly behind the couple and Arthur locks it from the inside. 

“To make sure we aren’t disturbed,” he explains to Merlin’s puzzled expression. Merlin nods in understanding, then warily walks towards the table. The smell from all the warm food is proving to be overpowering. 

Merlin moves to have a seat, but before he can pull out the ornate wooden chair to seat himself, Arthur stops him. “Wait,” he says, then pulls out the chair for Merlin himself. 

“Who knew the King could be such a gentleman?” Merlin teases as he sits down. Arthur playfully ruffles Merlin’s dark hair in response before making his way to his chair on the other side of the table. 

“I can be quite the gentleman when I want to be, thank you very much.”

“When you’re not being a prat, that is.” Merlin laughs when Arthur makes a face at him. 

The food lays on the table tauntingly. All Merlin wants to do is grab a serving for himself, but he doesn’t know if the castle etiquette still applies here or not. Arthur notices Merlin’s dilemma easily. 

“You can go ahead and eat,” Arthur says, grabbing a roll for himself and placing it on his plate. “You don’t need to wait for me here. There’s no difference between us when we are together like this.”

Merlin merely nods in thanks before grabbing a large piece of chicken and two rolls from the center of the table. He takes a generous serving of salad as well. 

The couple eat while in mild conversation. The rich castle food paired with the pitchers of wine made them both focus more on the food than each other during dinner, which neither one of them minded. It had been a long day, with neither having much time to enjoy a meal. 

In between bites of chicken, Merlin is able to stammer, “A-Any sign of those bandits that attacked Sir Gwaine and Sir Percival?” 

Arthur shakes his head before taking a long sip of his wine. “Nothing. Leon, Elyan, and Redreff reported to me when they came back a few hours ago that the bandits left very little to track. Tomorrow I’m going to head out with them with the hounds to see if we can find anything else. Are Gwaine and Percival in better shape?”

“Yes. They’re getting better by the hour. Gaius says that they should be ready to fight again by tomorrow, the day after at worst.”

“Excellent. Those two always seem to heal fairly quickly.”

Merlin scoffs. “Probably because they’re banging each other.”

Arthur ponders the idea for a second before nodding slowly in agreement. “Now that you’ve mentioned it...”

Merlin laughs. “Did you really not know?”

Arthur shrugs and leans back in his chair, finished eating and drinking for the night. “Nope.”

“You really are oblivious, oh mighty King Of Camelot,” Merlin playfully jabs at the man across the table. 

“You know, I do have the power to throw you into the dungeons whenever I want. Technically, you are breaking the law by practicing magic,” Arthur jokes. 

Merlin pouts, but then eyes the empty goblet in front of Arthur mischievously. He whispers an incantation, and the goblet shakily levitates from its position on the table. 

Arthur gasps as the goblet begins to knock him playfully on the head, much like a dog would as it asks for attention. Arthur blindly grabs at the cup, trying to stop it from persistently knocking into him. All the while, Merlin laughs heavily at the way the man he is courting makes failed attempts to grab the goblet. 

“Merlin!” Arthur exclaims as the goblet hovers directly above his head, just out of reach. “Put it down!”

“As you wish, Your Highness,” Merlin grins. A simple incantation suspends the metal goblet in the air for a second before gravity brings it back down. Poor Arthur didn’t realize that he had ample time to move before the goblet fell and bonked him on the head. 

Arthur presses a hand to his head as the goblet clatters onto the wooden floor. He winces, and when he opens his eyes, he finds Merlin has gotten up from his seat and walked over to where Arthur is standing near his bed, arm resting on Arthur’s shoulder. 

Arthur glares at him, but Merlin just shrugs. “You said to bring it down,” he explains. “And I did.”

Arthur removes his hand from his head, the shock from the falling goblet now gone. He instead wraps it around Merlin’s shoulders, pressing Merlin into his chest. “You call me a clotpole, and yet...,” Arthur trails off, opting for pressing a kiss into Merlin’s soft hair instead of talking. He smiles when he feels Merlin press himself closer in response to the kiss. 

“Thank you for staying the night with me tonight,” Arthur whispers into Merlin’s hair. “I know you were nervous.”

“A little,” Merlin admits. “But I think I feel a lot better now. Thank you for making me feel comfortable.” 

“Of course,” Arthur replies instantly. “I’d do anything for you.”

Merlin smiles into Arthur’s shirt. “I guess Gaius was right. You really do have a soft spot for me.” He can feel Arthur’s chest rumble as he laughs. 

“Gaius said that?”

“Mhmm,” Merlin hums, twirling the loose cord at the top of Arthur’s white tunic around his finger. “Nothing can get past him. He even knew about Gwaine and Percival before I did.”

Arthur brings his hand up from Merlin’s waist to his hand. Merlin untwists the cord from his fingers to allow himself to lace his with Arthur’s. “Ah. But did he figure out that I love you?”

Merlin looks at him with wide eyes. “You-what?” His heart beats rapidly in his chest. The pounding feels like it should be able to be heard in the lower town. 

Arthur continues to smile at Merlin, the grin tugging at his lips. “I love you, Merlin.”

Merlin’s jaw drops. The four words are running through his head at a mile a minute, not even giving him a second to fathom a response. He sputters out another, “What?” before Arthur’s smile begins to fall. 

“Do...,” Arthur’s voice is suddenly strained, “Do you not feel the same?”

Merlin still can’t get the four words out of his head. 

Arthur blinks rapidly, his eyes glassy. Carefully, he unwraps his hand from Merlin’s, gently pushing him away from Merlin. “I’m sorry,” Arthur says. “I didn’t mean to ruin the moment.”

Arthur rubs the back of his neck nervously, still blinking quickly.“You can, um, leave if you’d like. I’m so sorry. Or you can stay, I mean, I-I don’t mind either way. It’s your decision, Merlin.” He speaks very quickly, as if he’s on a timer. 

“No.”

Arthur’s eyes snap back to Merlin’s. “No?”

Merlin shakes his head, disappointed with the word he managed to finally speak. “I meant-no. I don’t want to go,” he clarifies. 

“That’s alright,” Arthur replies instantly. “I can call another servant to make a cot for you here for the night. And get you anything else you desire.”

Merlin shakes his head again, willing himself to get the words right. “Arthur, I mean...I don’t want to go. I don’t want to leave you. Ever. I-I want to stay with you, for as long as you’ll have me.”

Now it’s Arthur’s turn for his eyes to widen. “Really?” His eyes light up just like the stars outside. 

“Yes.” Merlin starts walking towards Arthur again, his steps making the wooden floor underneath his feet creak. “I can’t imagine my life without you in it. You helped shape my fate, my destiny. I wouldn’t be Merlin without Arthur.”

Arthur’s eyes are damp for a different reason than a few minutes ago. 

“I do still think you are a prat. An entitled king with everyone at his beck and call. But I also think that this very king is kind. And caring. And loving. He is selfless, and righteous, and courageous. He is what makes Camelot...Camelot.”

Merlin stops when he is directly in front of Arthur. If he lifted his head, their noses would brush. 

“And this king...,” Merlin lifts a hand to cup Arthur’s cheek. “I love him.”

Arthur presses his cheek into Merlin’s touch. 

“I love you, Arthur. More than my words or actions can describe.”

Merlin’s blue eyes meet Arthur’s. “I hope I can stay with you like we planned tonight,” Merlin jokes lightly. 

Arthur chuckles gently. “Of course,” he croaks, a happy tear threatening to escape. When it does, Merlin is quick to swipe it away with his thumb. 

“So?” Merlin questions, “How long am I going to have to wait until you kiss me?”

Arthur runs his tongue over his lower lil before leaning down a few centimeters to close the gap. 

“I love you so much.” Arthur barely manages to whisper before their lips meet. 

When they pull away, breathless, he continues. “I don’t want to think of a day where you are not in my life.”

Merlin’s heart sinks at those words. Arthur must not know his fate. 

“I can promise you that you will never live a day without me by your side.”

Arthur never understood the underlying meaning of those words until he was lying in Merlin’s arms, for the final time. 

**Author's Note:**

> hi yes i guess im writing again??? i had a weird writers block and i was sad for a while but i think i’m back? anyway ye i started watching merlin and !!! i love m e r thur holy fUck expect more merthur fics from me in the future. not ready for the last episode lmao B) (i wrote this on my phone in the notes app so sorry for any mistakes lol)
> 
> instagram: @blue._.cadet  
> art instagram: @88._.20  
> tumblr: geckointhegarbage.tumblr.com  
> art tumblr: 88-20.tumblr.com


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